Below is copy of the email sent to the parents (Shanty and Ron Asher)

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Aloha,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that Shanielynn-Debra Asher is the 1^st Place Winner in the Literature Category, High School Division, for the 2020-2021 Hawaii State PTSA Reflections Program.

As a 1^st place winner, Shanielynn-Debra’s entry has been forwarded to the National PTA for judging at a national level, where it will be competing among entries from 54 PTA Congresses nationwide.

Due to COVID restrictions, we will be taking our event virtual. We are currently working on creating a video honoring our Reflections winners, which will be posted on our website. We will also be scheduling a virtual awards ceremony via Zoom. Once the date is finalized we will reach out to you with an invite.

By the end of the month, your student will also receive a certificate of recognition and a 1^st place ribbon. If you would like your student to be recognized on our website holding their certificate and ribbon, please email a photo to HawaiiPTSAprograms@gmail.com.

We are very proud of Shanielynn-Debra’s artistic contribution to this year’s theme “I Matter Because” and we would like to thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Liz Sager

President
Hawaii State PTSA

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I Matter Because

I matter because

I am one of the voices whose tone has grown weak

 I am one of the many silenced who is ready to speak 

the voice of my people has been constantly overlooked

But I will stand for my Kosraeans with a stern voice that will get you hooked

ongoing stereotypes which supposedly define who I am

and hurtful comments claiming I’m a cockroach and that I better scram

worried about my grades or else I might fall into the assumptions

being told I’m really pretty for a Micronesian and replying with an “Awe thanks” as I hide my irritation

but then again there I am judging Micronesians walking with their Micronesian skirt with hate

because I’m tired of working my butt off just to be overlooked with the trouble that they create

the actions of one does not justify the blanket perception of a whole ethnicity

and my people should not be shunned because of such complicity

I matter because

I have built up the courage to speak the unspoken

I have had enough of the subtle and not so subtle hatred because I have awoken

spending my days ashamed of being a Micronesian

and taking the time to build the perfect yet misleading impression

being told that I am too civilized to be from such a place

most say it as a compliment but instead I take it as a slap to the face

Watching my mother as she works hard for us to fight against the discrimination 

Or is she working hard so that we can run away from such labels to avoid oppression

the wrongdoings done by one SHOULD NOT define the perception of my whole ethnicity

so hear my voice and my pleas and help me end such toxicity

“sometimes even to live is an act of courage”(Lucius Annaeus Seneca), but my courage helps me reveal my world

I matter because I will be the voice of the silenced who wishes to be heard

I matter